Newport, Kingston host chamber festivals

Wednesday

Jul 10, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The next few weeks must look like heaven for classical music fans, with two major chamber festivals to choose from. The Newport Music Festival, the granddaddy of chamber fests, gets under way tomorrow...

Channing Gray Special to The Journal Channing_Gray

The next few weeks must look like heaven for classical music fans, with two major chamber festivals to choose from.

The Newport Music Festival, the granddaddy of chamber fests, gets under way tomorrow with the first of 62 programs spread over 17 days. The concerts take place in the city’s storied mansions and churches.

Then on July 24, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival welcomes back founder David Kim for a sold-out concert to celebrate its 25th season — but you can still catch him in other performances — on the URI campus.

Newport Music Festival

There was a lot of speculation about the future of the 45-year-old Newport Festival after the death three years ago of longtime director Mark Malkovich, who in the best of senses ran the festival like his own deftly orchestrated soiree. But son, Mark IV, has managed to maintain the spirit of the event and its ambitious schedule.

Malkovich said this is not the biggest festival ever. He believes his father once put together a festival with 67 concerts. But he said he has outdone his father on at least one front, scheduling six concerts in a single day, including two at Bristol’s Blithewold Mansion. The previous record was five.

“That’s more concerts than some festivals do altogether,” said Malkovich.

The collaboration with Blithewold began last year with a single sold-out program. Malkovich was so pleased with the response he decided to return and maybe to consider bringing a concert or two to Providence in the future, perhaps to Vets Auditorium.

Plans for this year’s festival began to form late last year around some sort of tribute to Wagner and Verdi, both of whom celebrate 200th birthdays in 2013. By January, though, Malkovich found his vision too costly and scaled back plans to feature just a half-dozen programs of music by the two composers.

The first of those takes place tomorrow at 11 a.m. at The Elms with a collection of youthful piano music of Wagner. Tomorrow evening at 9 at The Breakers, the Ecclesia Consort offers choruses from Wagner and Verdi operas. The program also features Verdi’s E Minor String Quartet.

The one big disappointment this summer is the cancellation of Slovenian pianist Dubravka Tomsic, who is something of a legend in Newport. The elder Malkovich reintroduced Tomsic to the United States in 1989 after a 35-year-hiatus. But she recently injured a finger, which has kept her from even practicing, let alone performing, said Malkovich.

In her stead, he has booked Russian-born pianist Vassily Primakov for an all-Chopin night July 15. Primakov, a semifinalist in the 2001 Cliburn Competition, is known for his Chopin.

Two days later, Ukrainian pianist Inna Faliks appears at The Breakers with a program featuring Beethoven’s famed “Appassionata” Sonata, plus scores by Arnold Schoenberg and Rodion Shchedrin.

There has always been a strong presence from pianists at the festival. But Malkovich has also tried to expand the programming.

After success with ragtime last summer, he has put together another ragtime program July 18. A klezmer evening is on tap Saturday, and the July 27 lineup includes a late afternoon tango program at the Newport Art Museum and a 9 p.m. tribute to jazz great Dave Brubeck with the Jazz Arts Trio at The Breakers.

Gershwin evenings are down for July 22 and July 26, when pianist Michael Endres plays “Rhapsody in Blue,” along with a group of song transcriptions.

Then there is the traditional fare. As always, there will be a couple of Morning Mozart concerts, which are always popular. Evenings of Schubert and Schumann are also scheduled, along with five French-themed programs.

Children’s concerts with pianist Frederic Chiu and storyteller David Gonzalez teaming up for “Peter and the Wolf” and “Babar,” take place the morning of July 23 and 24. And English violinist Tasmin Little follows her July 21 recital with an informal family concert July 22 at the Casino Theatre.

“It’s unbelievable how she can talk to an audience,” said Malkovich.

Malkovich is also bringing back Italian violinist Grazia Raimondi, who hit a “home run” last summer with her performance of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.” Her July 26 concert includes an encore presentation of the Vivaldi, along with music inspired by Vivaldi and a couple of excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons.”

This year’s July 19 fundraiser takes place inside Rosecliff, not under the usual tent. And brief musical selections will be performed during dinner, instead of staging a full concert afterward. Tickets are $300.

Otherwise, tickets range from $20 to $42. Concerts are held throughout the day, with evening programs starting at 8 p.m. Sun. through Wed., and 9 p.m. Thurs. through Sat. Call (401) 849-0700, or visit newportmusic.org.

Kingston Chamber Music Festival

Meanwhile, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival gets under way July 24 with founder David Kim firing off his own “Four Seasons,” plus scores by Mozart and Handel. In all, six concerts are scheduled in URI’s Fine Arts Center through Aug.4.

The charismatic Kim, who spent two decades at the helm of the festival, has not been back for five years. He said he wanted to give his successor, pianist Natalie Zhu, a chance to put her stamp on the event before returning.

He said he tried to return last summer, but couldn’t get time away from the Philadelphia Orchestra, where he is concertmaster.

“I’m super excited to return,” said Kim, who said he holds a special place in his heart for South County, where his two daughters learned to swim.

“My wife and I used to sweep the floors of the hall and barbecue for the musicians,” he said.

This summer will also be for Kim a reunion with former sidekick Gail Niwa, who was his accompanist at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. They will team up once again July 25 for a special $100-a-head founders concert and reception at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 383 Old North Rd., Kingston. Music by Brahms, Chopin and Mendelssohn will be heard, along with the “Meditation” from Massenet’s “Thais,” with Natalie Zhu at the keyboard.

Kim, 50, lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with his wife and two daughters. His 12-year-old is a good enough fiddler to play the Bach Double with her dad.

Kim, who’s been concertmaster in Philadelphia for 14 years, said he went through some tough times three years ago when the orchestra filed for bankruptcy. But it is back on its feet, he said.

“We still sound great,” he said. “Everything is great. It’s just we get paid a little less.”

Kim said he has also begun to teach in Texas, where he is a visiting professor at the University of Texas Austin, and in Japan.

And he does a lot of guest spots, so he can keep his soloist chops sharp.

Meanwhile, the festival continues July 26 with music by female composers, including Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, along with the contemporary sounds of Jennifer Higdon.

The Cesar Franck Piano Quintet turns up on the July 28 program, and Zhu appears July 31 in Dvorak’s wonderful A Major Piano Quintet and the B Major Brahms Trio.

Aug. 2 marks the festival debut of 23-year-old violinist Benjamin Beilman, whom Kim called one of the top young violinists performing today. Beilman, winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a host of other prizes, tackles Bach’s great Chaconne for solo violin, then takes part in a performance of Schubert’s sublime double cello quintet.

The festival closes Aug. 4 with an all-Mendelssohn bash that includes the C Minor Piano Trio and the masterful E-Flat Major Octet.

Tickets are $25 and usually available at the door 45 minutes before the start of concerts. Call (401) 789-0665, or visit kingstonchambermusic.org.